NFC rings and NFC bracelets, haven't I bought you? We recall Galaring and look at Haloband - NFC-bracelet that sends SMS

With terrible delay we got Haloband for the test, and I would have kept silent about this if Galaring, NFC rings, which we did back boxing in March , with similar characteristics, didn’t get into the warehouse with it by chance .



And if you are interested in how a silicone NFC bracelet works with the possibility of emergency notification, I ask for a cat.

The Haloband bracelet was conceived as a “personal key” to a smartphone, thanks to which it would open access to applications and some functions that could be programmed independently. The idea, according to the developers, arose at the junction of the concepts of protecting personal data and using the smartphone too intensively. The last thought was reinforced by considerations that on the screen, when unlocked, bands remain or random scratches from other bracelets may appear.

At the same time, writes Techcrunch in 2014, not everyone’s finger size allows them to get into the right digits the first time they enter the code or draw the correct graphic keys.

Inspired by this disaster, a team from Shanghai launched a campaign on Kickstarter, gathered 45,000 instead of 10,000. And now I am holding the result of their efforts on my wrist.



Of the several samples, I chose green. This is the favorite color of my three-year-old son, and all possible shades surround us at home: dishes, ladles, baby socks, high chairs, etc. Even for my birthday, I had to look for a green digit, so there wasn’t much choice. And if you believe my globe - patriotic.



The bracelet arrived in thin packaging, which is very convenient, and inside there is only a gadget worn on a kind of instruction.

Software

To “turn on” a bracelet, you need to download App *, “lock in” a bracelet and set up your profile. Somewhere between these three steps you will be registered.



*The mobile application is only for Android devices.

The application allows you to assign a certain number of actions to three buttons or combinations of these buttons, under each of which are the chips.



The Halo button is needed to synchronize the bracelet, unlock the smartphone or go to the official website. The remaining two can be combined at your discretion *:



* On any of the smartphones with which I synchronized the bracelet, the application blocking function does not work: they were opened without asking for the bracelet, but the ring now refuses to do this, although the last time it worked.

In this regard, a small digression about GalaRing

What has changed:

• Androida version c 4 to 5th

What have you tried:

• Sony Xperia
• Oneplus one

4 Android on Samsung Galaxy:

• Ring blocks applications

What has changed in the application itself:

• It has left the Play Market, and is now available for download on the official website.
• The screen now displays the ability to add a graphic key and use the phone without a ring!

Application GalaRing We

wrote to the developers and are waiting, hiding. Suddenly there are not just my crooked hands, but some simple secret. So far, the feeling that the matter is in versions of Android.

Sorry for the offtopic, and ...

Again about Haloband

Settings will allow you to perform various functions, open applications, but the most seems to be valuable: sending an emergency signal with your coordinates to the desired number * (mother, wife, anyone). However, in my opinion, this is not very readable.



* For sending SMS you are charged money, according to your tariff!

In a locked form, the phone will look like this:



and in the basic version there are three options for screensavers, which are complemented directly from the gallery (the third photo is mine):



And logically, now without a bracelet access to the phone is impossible. Sometimes, to be honest, it didn’t work, and I had to enter my usual graphic key. But with normal operation, I could not even turn off the phone with such a screen.

Appearance The

bracelet looks very “usual” or, as they say now, stylish and modern: almost like bracelets from McDonalds. It is made of special silicone, which does not cause irritation, and is available in a large palette of colors and sizes.

• the black
• Violet
• red
• yellow
• green
• blue
• white

“Youth” colors, of course, will stand out more and they are more difficult to combine with clothes, and in everyday life, during ordinary activities, they are striking.



If we compare them again with the ring, then the adult option is more likely to fit the "NFC on the finger", which looks more presentable and elegant, in an adult way.



Extraction

On the other hand, we understand that the chip from the bracelet is easy to remove, and at worst, you can sew it into any bracelet or even tape it anywhere. That is, by and large, you get three chips complete with an application that you can "decorate" yourself.


In the last photo, the chip glued with adhesive tape to the Chipolo label is resistant

to moisture:



Traces of direct exposure to the lighter in the photo. I note that since the second photo is hard to see, slightly “faded” in color, while the bracelet itself was not badly damaged, and if you remove the carbon deposit, it is almost imperceptible.



A burnt place becomes a little more “sticky” with respect to an undamaged surface.

• Chip: NTAG203 / NTAG213
• Material: Medical Silicone
• Weight without a box of my bracelet: 11 grams

You can see a little more detail with the help of this software:



Compatibility The

bracelet works with any phone that has NFC, and in order not to publish the full list , the developers themselves posted a screenshot of the “favorites”.



I managed to check it out on my Xperia. Several times, when touched, I was given an “NFC Read Error”, and everything was fine as long as this happened with the smartphone unlocked. But a couple of times something necessarily happens and it usually happens when you are waiting for an important call or should answer a work letter.

The phone is blocked and the error does not allow you to get inside. Neither Android Transfer nor Sony Mobile are allowed into the device. I am convinced that you know more complex ways, but in the case specifically with Xperia:

• If I get a SIM card, my device reboots. As soon as he "comes to his senses", I do not see the "Halo" screen, but my graphic key, and I have some time to go into the desired application and disable the lock or demolish the application.

Sale

At present, we do not sell these bracelets in bulk, but if you are interested or you need such a bracelet for personal experiments, we can sell the remaining samples. In the presence of a “brutal” black and bright yellow, and I tried to “squeak” the appearance of both gadgets.

• On the black bracelet, in addition to the main “buttons”, there is an inscription “Love”
• Size " M "

Yellow bracelet - size " S "



Considering the quality of the package, not a gift due to a long journey (and even a "transparent" window was damaged on the yellow bracelet), I offer them at the price of the official site, and if I correctly figured it out:



Via the Medgadgets website it will not work (there is a pre-order), and if there is interest, write to tolik (dog) medgadgets.ru

You can read more in the Haloband card .

Who cares about the ring (though the card is in the process of updating):

GalaRing ring - 2 690 with the Geek code for a 7% discount.

Dimensions:

• 17 (s)
• 18 (m)

I also ask you to answer short questions so that we understand the prospect of purchasing such a bracelet.

Thank you, have a nice weekend!